PORTLAND (AP) – After a record year for passenger traffic, an expansion may be in the works at Maine’s busiest airport.

Officials at Portland International Jetport have asked the city to appropriate funds to explore the idea of a new terminal as part of an expansion that would relieve crowded runways, increase the number of gates and ease delays at security checkpoints.

Jeff Monroe, Portland’s director of ports and transportation director, said more space might attract additional carriers, which would mean more flights and lower fares.

The jetport is now operating at capacity, he said, and its nine gates are shared by as many as 24 planes waiting overnight.

An estimate last year pinned the price of expansion at $40 million, but officials said they will have a better idea about cost when the study is completed. If expansion is judged feasible, work crews could break ground by 2006.

Passenger traffic at the jetport has rebounded steadily since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Last year, the jetport saw nearly 1.4 million passengers, surpassing the previous high in 1999 by more than 8,000. The 2004 figures represent an increase of slightly more than 9 percent over 2003.

Officials say that travelers who had been flying out of Manchester, N.H., and Boston may be returning to the jetport because of fares driven down by the June arrival of low-cost carrier Independence Air.

Ideas on how to make a new terminal more attractive for travelers include installing an aquarium featuring Maine marine life or rotating artwork by local artists, said Gregory Hughes, marketing manager at the jetport.

“The easier and better we have it for the person on the ground is an important thing,” he said.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, https://www.pressherald.com

AP-ES-01-21-05 0224EST